We Can Be Heroes
by Beccabo
Summary: When Frank Reagan is shot, his life is placed in the hands of trauma surgeon Katie Giordano.  And as he recovers, she might end up saving not only Frank's life but Jamie's as well.  Based loosely on the events of "Dedication".  Jamie/OC pairing.
1. Chapter 1

**_Hi everyone! I have recently fallen in love with Blue Bloods and got the idea for this fic while watching the latest episode where Frank got shot. This is my spin on it...with a little romance for Jamie thrown in for good measure! I love this family and so they will show up pretty often, as well. I took a little literary license and made Linda a nurse in this fic so that she could be around more and so that my OC could have a friend. I'm also not a doctor, so take the medical conversation with a grain of salt._**

**_I hope you enjoy..._**

* * *

**Chapter One**

They rode together in silence, all three Reagan's watching the number strip above the elevator doors illuminate with each passing floor. Finally, when the number seven lit up and the elevator doors opened, the trio rushed out onto the floor ready to find some answers.

"Grandpa!"

Erin Reagan-Boyle ran into the waiting arms of Former Police Commissioner Henry Reagan and felt them close in a strong embrace around her. It was only then that she let the emotions that had been welling up inside of her escape and her petite frame began to shake from the sobs that she released. Henry held his granddaughter tight and soothed her hair with his rough hands as he whispered soothingly, "Shhh. It's okay. He's going to be okay."

Danny tore his eyes away from the sad sight and found his younger brother, still dressed in his police uniform, standing nearby. Jamie Reagan's normally sparkling eyes were blank as he approached his family with a weary look. The look on his face told Danny that he didn't even have to put voice to the questions in his mind, but he felt the need to speak anyway.

"How is he?" he asked hoarsely, as Erin slowly pulled out of her grandfather's embrace and silently gripped his hand.

"He's still in surgery," Jamie reported quietly. "The trauma surgeon on duty in the ER rushed him right up to the operating room after stabilizing him downstairs. The bullet is lodged in his chest, near his heart, and they're working on removing it."

"A nurse brought us up here, but so far we haven't heard anything else." Henry added, anger beginning to cloud his face. "Don't they know that we need to know what is going on?"

"Where do you want the doctors to be grandpa?" Danny asked as gently as he could given the situation, "Out here with us or in there with dad?"

"As soon as there is something to report to us, they will." Linda reassured him, rubbing the older man's arm protectively. "But I'll talk to some of the nurses and see what I can find out." As a nurse in this very hospital for three years, Linda was sure she would be able to get past the red tape and find out something on Frank's condition. "The trauma surgeon…did they say who it was?"

"An Italian name," Henry replied, trying to remember what the nurse had said, "Gio…something."

"Giordano?" Linda asked quickly, "It's Dr. Giordano's team?"

"Yeah, that's it." Jamie chimed in, "That was the name they said. Is he good?"

"She." Linda corrected with a reassuring smile, "And she's fantastic. The best around. She's only been here about a year, but she is fiery and passionate about her patients and cool as a cucumber in the O.R."

"That sounds like a good combination, right?"

"Right." Linda agreed, leading the family over to a group of chairs in the waiting area, "Plus, she is as stubborn as Frank is…she won't let him give up."

Three hours later, the family was still in the waiting room without information. Danny had been on his phone the entire time, keeping up with the investigation into Frank's shooting while the rest of the family paced the floors of the sunny waiting room. Henry, the least patient of the bunch, had sent Linda out to the nurse's station in search of information at least once every 20 minutes but she always came back with the same story..."The commissioner is still in surgery and the doctors will come out to give us an update as soon as there is something to report. For now, no news is good news."

Finally, just as Henry was about to send Linda off again, a young, red headed doctor in emerald green scrubs came around the corner into the waiting room. Her dark red locks were pulled back into a lazy ponytail and her normally bright eyes looked exhausted from the long surgery. The surgeon pasted a determined look on her pretty face as she looked around the waiting area and asked, "Are you the family of Frank Reagan?"

The Reagan clan quickly scrambled up from their chairs and hung up their phones as they stood in front of the doctor. Quickly recognizing Linda, she nodded at the nurse and smiled a reassuring smile as she said, "I'm Dr. Katie Giordano."

"Really?" Erin blurted out before she had a chance to censor herself.

Nodding and biting back a grin, Katie answered quickly, "Last time I checked."

"I'm sorry." Erin apologized quickly, although she had simply voiced what the rest of her family had been thinking. "I was just expecting someone…"

Not missing a beat, the young surgeon quipped, "Taller?"

Mary Katherine Giordano was used to reactions like the one from Erin Reagan. At 34, she was the youngest trauma surgeon on staff at New York Hospital but there were many people who mistook her for a candy striper. Blessed with her mother's youthful looks, Katie could get away with telling people she was still in her 20's and no one would question her. She knew that someday her youthful appearance would serve her well, but until that day arrived, she simply learned to have a sense of humor about the whole thing.

And at that moment, her sense of humor seemed to work in her favor. The gathered members of the Reagan family, who had been waiting in tense silence for hours, smiled and chuckled at her remark which served as a nice ice breaker.

"So, how is he?" Henry asked, his look still guarded and worried for his son's condition.

Casually thrusting her hands into the pockets of her white doctor's coat, Katie got back to business quickly and answered, "It was touch and go there for awhile. The entry wound was misleading and the bullet was lodged a bit closer to the heart than we would have liked, so it was an extremely delicate surgery. But your son is a very lucky man, Mr. Reagan. There was only a minimum amount of damage to the arteries in his chest cavity and the bullet missed the pericardial membrane altogether. We were able to repair the arterial and tissue damage after removing the bullet and he is now resting comfortably." Glancing over at Danny and Jamie, she added, "The bullet fragments have already been turned over to the officers from his protection detail and should be on their way to the crime lab as we speak."

Danny nodded tersely and said, "Thanks, doc."

"Can we see him?" Erin asked in relief.

"He's still in recovery…his heart and the rest of his body have been through a lot today and we're keeping a close eye on him." Katie said with a slow shake of her head, "We're going to let him sleep for a few hours, so I suggest you go home and do the same…"

But the moment the words were out of her mouth, Katie knew that she was wasting her breath. The resolved looks on their faces told her that they weren't going anywhere until they had seen for themselves that Frank Reagan was going to be alright. She knew those looks…she had seen them herself many times, both as a doctor and as a daughter and a sister. She had even seen that look in the mirror a time or two.

Smiling, the redhead let out a chuckle and said, "Yeah, that's what I figured. But I have to say it…it's in the manual."

It was at that moment when she noticed that the teddy bear-like Henry Reagan had a sidearm strapped to his belt. Pursing her lips, she brought her eyes up to meet his and was surprised by the steely eyed determination she saw there. His son had been shot. He couldn't protect his child, but he was damn well going to protect the rest of his family. Pretending that she hadn't seen what she just saw and avoiding the looks from the rest of the family, Katie continued smoothly, "Okay, so …I'll come out to give you updates when I can. The lousy cafeteria coffee is on the fourth floor but the vending machines with the best candy are up on ten."

And then Dr. Katie Giordano disappeared back behind the doors of the recovery wing.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks for the reviews Bellaverita, cara, bookelf, amblue36 and Runner043! I'm glad you like the character of Katie…I have been pretty successful with my OC's in the past and I enjoy creating a character to fit in with the Reagan clan. **_

_**Runner043 – I don't know if they have ever said what Linda does on the show. I made her a nurse simply for story purposes, but I don't know if the actual character has a job. **_

_**I think one of the reasons I like the Reagan family so much is that their banter and Sunday dinners remind me of my own family. I tried to show a little more of that in this chapter and I hope I wrote everyone true to character. Plus, I gave you a little bit more of an introduction to Katie. I hope everyone enjoys this installment…**_

_**

* * *

**_

**Chapter Two – A Model Patient**

_The next morning…_

"Stop fussing over me." Frank Reagan half-smiled up at his daughter as she tucked the blankets around him and fluffed up his pillows again for the fifth time since she had entered his hospital room. "I'm fine."

"So you keep telling me." Erin shot back, finally sitting down in the chair to the left of her father's bedside and exchanging a knowing look with her grandfather. Henry, seated on the opposite side of his son's bed, merely shook his head and chuckled at the sight of the child fussing over the parent.

"And yet you sound as if you don't believe me."

"Well the huge bandage covering your torso, the IV drip, and the monitors attached to your heart are quite convincing." Erin pointed out, glancing around at the medical equipment that filled the room and reminded everyone that the situation was still quite serious.

"Ah, doctors," Frank muttered, lying back against his pillows and closing his eyes, "They get their kicks out of padding the bill."

Jamie smirked at his father and moved over to inspect the heart monitor that the police commissioner was hooked up to as he quipped, "So, if I press this little button right here…"

Without flinching or opening his eyes, Frank replied dryly, "Don't you have a shift to report for?"

"Nope," Jamie answered with a smirk, "Not for another hour or so."

"Don't they limit the number of visitors allowed at one time in this hospital?" Frank asked, opening his eyes just in time to see Danny stroll into the room and then muttered, "Apparently not."

"Good to see you too, dad." Danny said with a grin, putting down the tray of coffees he was carrying and shrugging off his coat. "I see your sense of humor has returned…that's a good sign."

"Any word on the investigation?" Jamie asked, helping himself to a steaming cup of joe.

"They're locking us out."

"That's what happens when you make your rival your second in command," Henry remarked, taking the cup of coffee that Erin handed him.

"He was the best man for the job." Frank said, putting an end to the familiar conversation by closing his eyes again.

"Well, I got Jackie looking for a way in." Danny replied, quickly changing the subject, "And Brady is already figuring out a way to set up a base command here so that we can monitor…"

"Brady is feeling guilty about being halfway down the street when I got shot." Frank told them quietly, "Don't let her overcompensate."

"It was my idea."

"And don't you go making waves…"

But Frank's lecture was cut short when a familiar red headed doctor breezed into the room.

"Good morning, Comm-…whoa." She stopped short when she saw the room full of Reagan's. "It seems like the gang's all here. Don't you people ever sleep?" And then without waiting for a reply, she turned to her famous patient and asked, "How are you feeling, Commissioner?"

By the light of day, Dr. Katie Giordano looked…if possible…younger than she did the night before. With her face freshly scrubbed, her hair pulled back in the familiar ponytail, and donning vibrant purple scrubs, she looked more like a Hollywood starlet playing a doctor in a soap opera than a highly qualified surgeon.

And Frank Reagan was going to use it to his advantage.

"I feel really, really good, doc." He assured her, struggling to pull himself into a sitting position as he continued, "Like an athlete or a superhero or some other really, really healthy person."

Katie didn't look up from the chart she was studying, but she did smile as she answered, "You're funny, Commissioner. You're a funny, funny man."

"So I guess that means I can go home, right?" Frank asked, watching as she moved over to check the read out on his EKG machine. She kept her back to him and ignored his comment as she looked over his heart rate activity before moving over to take his blood pressure. As she went about the business of wrapping the cuff around his right arm, it became clear to him that she wasn't going to answer his question so he asked again, "Doctor Giordano?"

She looked up at him as if she were surprised to see him and answered innocently, "Yes?"

"I can go home now, can't I?" Frank repeated the question, wondering if she was purposely irritating him to raise his blood pressure rate.

The highest ranking police officer in New York City couldn't believe it when the young doctor "shushed" him as she listened to her stethoscope. Finally releasing his arm from the blood pressure cuff, Katie answered simply, "I don't think so."

"I feel fine," Frank protested and then added haughtily, "And I have an investigation to run."

Flipping open his chart to make some notations, Katie responded, "Last I heard New York City had an entire police force capable of doing that. In fact, I pay some pretty high property taxes just to make sure."

"Now who's the funny one?" Frank grumbled, not finding any humor at all in the situation. Glancing around the room, he barked, "Jamie, get me some clothes…"

Jamie glanced uneasily over at the doctor, who was still calmly making notes in his father's chart, and then over to his brother. Danny, who was finding the standoff between his father and the doctor comical, was no help at all so the young officer simply said, "Dad, I don't think…"

Katie suddenly snapped the chart shut again and told Jamie, "No, it's okay. Go ahead."

"Wait…" Erin sputtered, looking at the doctor in disbelief. "What?"

"I have a lot of patients to see today, Ms. Reagan." Katie explained, her eyes never leaving Frank's. "I don't have the time or the patience to stand here and argue with your father."

"Doc, look…" Henry started to explain, but Dr. Giordano was not finished yet.

"But," she continued, "I'm not going to be held responsible for what happens to him if he checks himself out of here against doctors orders either."

"Dr. Giordano…" Erin started again, but then her voice trailed off when she realized she didn't exactly know what was going on.

Never taking her attention off Frank, Katie told him matter of factly, "So I'm going to have to ask you a few questions and if I'm satisfied with your answers, I will go down and file your release paperwork myself. Okay?"

"Shoot." Frank agreed, confident that he held the upper hand.

"Okay," the red head agreed, taking a pen out of the pocket of her doctor's coat and flipping his chart open one more time. Looking up at him pointedly she began, "The first thing I need from you is the name of the medical school where you got your degree?"

The only sound that could be heard in the entire room was the steady beep of Frank's heart monitor as his family watched the shock register on his ruggedly handsome face. With her pen poised to write something in the chart, Dr. Giordano looked up at him as if she actually expected an answer. When she didn't get one, she continued…

"I know, it's not fair of me to start off with such a tough one. How about we try this one…the name of the doctor you did your residency and internship under?" The look of shock on Frank's face slowly began to turn to annoyance as she kept peppering him with questions. "No? Okay, well how about the name of the hospital where you are currently practicing medicine? I just need to call and check on your status to diagnose your own condition and ignore my advice."

It was that last remark that finally caused Danny's laughter to spill over into the quiet room. He was practically shaking with laughter and Frank looked around to see that the rest of the family was having trouble hiding their amusement as well.

Realizing what she was doing, Frank leaned back against his pillows and sighed as he said, "I get it."

"I don't think you do." Katie shot back, fire flashing in her eyes. She was the one with upper hand now and everyone in the room knew it. "But you will."

"I know my own body." Frank protested weakly, "I know what I am capable of."

"Well I don't want this to sound like the lamest pick up line ever, but I've become pretty familiar with your body over the last 24 hours too and I'm absolutely certain I know what you're capable of." She put her hand on her hip and leveled him with her piercing green eyes as she reminded him, "You were shot, Commissioner. We removed a bullet from your chest that was lodged inches away from your heart. Your superman routine isn't going to work on me."

"Look, I…"

"I get it, okay?" Katie interrupted him, softening her expression, "You are a man who isn't used to being on the losing end of an argument…I've got a few like you in my life. You want to get out of here so badly? Fine. Go ahead. I'm not going to waste my breath fighting with you."

"What?" Frank asked, puzzled by her sudden change of argument.

"Go ahead." She repeated, gesturing with her hand toward the door, "Get out of that bed, walk across the room to the closet and get your clothes. I believe the nurse put them in the closet by the door."

"Now?"

"No time like the present."

No one in the room was quite sure what was going on, so when Frank struggled to lift himself out of his hospital bed every pair of Reagan eyes focused on the petite doctor. Erin caught her gaze and was about to protest this very bizarre turn of events, but Katie silently shook her head at the attorney and nodded toward Frank. The family watched as he slowly swung both feet to the floor and when Jamie moved forward to help his father, Katie once again shook her head at them and motioned for Jamie to step back. When Frank tried to lift himself up from the bed, as the doctor predicted, he was unsteady and fell back on the bed. Realizing that he had been beaten, he laid back against his pillows as Katie moved forward with a smug look and helped him lift his legs back into the bed.

"Look…" he began, but she cut him off almost as soon as the word left his lips.

"No, you look. I have a healthy respect for what you do for a living, Commissioner Reagan. Not to mention your obvious dedication to your job and the city of New York. But since my team and I spent over five hours in the O.R. yesterday removing bullet fragments from your body and repairing your insides, I would hope you might have just a little bit of respect for what I do." Pulling the covers up over him and adjusting his IV tubes, she continued, "But if you don't, it really doesn't matter. Because in here, I **always **win."

And with that final pronouncement, the beautiful young doctor turned and walked out of the hospital room leaving the Reagan clan to simply watch her go. Finally, it was Henry who broke the silence as he chuckled and stated, "Oh, I like her."


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N - If you haven't seen the episode "Dedication" the beginning of this chapter may not make any sense to you. This is my rewrite of the scene that took place in the Reagan dining room. Only in my version, it takes place in the hospital...**_

_**Plus there is a little more insight into Katie's character in this chapter. I'm glad people like her...I'm quite fond of her myself. And for being good little readers, I promise to move into the Jamie/Katie interaction in the next chapter...in a big way! But until then...enjoy!**_

**

* * *

**

Chapter 3 – Pushing Buttons

_The next day..._

"The name Rory Brennan mean anything to you, dad?"

Frank looked up in surprise when his son mentioned that name. He had been going through old press clippings and files in his hospital room with his father, Jamie, and his old pal Monsignor Walter Donahue so that he could feel like he was being a useful part of the investigation. Frank had basically believed the exercise to be a waste of time until Danny had come in with Rory Brennan's name on his lips.

"Rory Brennan?" he repeated, exchanging a knowing glance with his father and the monsignor.

"Yeah," Danny said, moving over to the table to pick through the gifts of food that had been piling up in father's room. Noticing an open bottle of whiskey, he poured a little into an empty coffee mug and pulled up a chair to join the group at his father's bedside. "That was the name that was on the guy's cell phone…he spoke to him 5 times on the day of your shooting. Three times before, two times after. Why?"

"Blast from the past." Henry stated, putting down his handful of press clippings.

As Danny and Jamie looked at the older men in confusion, Frank sighed and began to explain, "Rory Brennan is the son of Whitey Brennan, who was head if the Irish Westies back in the 1970s…"

"Whitey was the king of Hell's Kitchen." Henry interrupted, "But when the city got enough evidence for an indictment against him, he went underground. Then we got a tip he was going to attend the baptism of his grandson."

"I led the operation," Frank admitted, picking up where his father left off, "It was supposed to be pretty straightforward…we were going to take them down when they exited the church. But every Westie there had a gun and when they opened fire, the police returned fire. All hell broke loose and by the time it was over two of our guys were wounded and four of his were killed…including Whitey's wife and infant grandson."

Monsignor Donahue quietly said, "That kind of hatred never goes away."

Danny and Jamie were silent for a moment as they digested this piece of Frank's past, not knowing that hell was about to break lose for them too.

"Cheesecake? Pastrami? You can't get flowers like a normal patient?"

A familiar voice filled the room as Dr. Katie Giordano came upon the scene at her patient's bedside. And when she noticed the open bottle that Danny had left visible on the table, the men all braced themselves for what was going to happen next…

"Whiskey?" she shrieked, her green eyes flashing fire as she looked around at the culprits. "Are you kidding me?"

"I didn't drink any…"

But Katie wasn't even looking at Frank. She was focused on his visitors as she reminded them, "This man just had major surgery…"

"And we need to find the guy who put him on your table." Danny challenged her, figuring he was already in the most trouble for leaving the whiskey out where she could see it.

"I believe there is a place for that," Katie shot back, ready to go toe to toe with any one of them, "It's this big building downtown and if I'm not mistaken, the words 'One Police Plaza' are written in huge letters out front."

"So this means you are letting me leave?" Frank asked both hopefully and sarcastically.

"No," Katie practically spit back at him, "this means that the little Reagan's are going to have to handle this one without big daddy." Glaring at Danny and Jamie, she pointed at the door and ordered, "Out."

The venom in her voice actually made Danny step back and then she turned her anger on the Monsignor as she said, "I may not be on the best terms with God these days, but I was raised as a Catholic. And I guess I was under the misconception that those robes meant that you, out of everybody, should know better."

Realizing that she had just yelled at a Chaplain of His Holiness, Katie turned around and took two deep breaths as she picked up Frank's chart. But she couldn't help muttering to herself, "I can't believe that in a room that includes a member of the Catholic clergy, two police commissioners, and two New York City police officers that _I_ have to be the responsible adult."

Monsignor Donahue, who had heard all about this spitfire of a surgeon and how she had saved Frank's life, tried to do what he did best…diffuse the situation. "Doctor…"

"Giordano." Jamie supplied, when he realized that the Monsignor didn't know Katie's name.

"Giordano?" He asked in surprise, turning to look first at Jamie and then over at Frank, "As in…?"

"Yes." Katie answered sharply, reminding everyone in the room that they were talking about her.

Jamie and Danny exchanged another confused look as their father's old friend continued quietly, "Dr. Giordano, these are special circumstances and I think that if you could possibly be a little more understanding about…"

"I know I don't seem like the warm and understanding type, Monsignor. But trust me when I tell you that this is my warm and understanding face." The young doctor interrupted, her face still set in anger but her voice sounding much calmer. "And if I have to ask you again to let this man rest, I'm going to have to start being much less warm and much less understanding." Turning to Frank, she grouched, "Now why don't you tell your friends here that this is actually your fault?"

"What?" Frank asked in confusion.

"The only reason I had to come up here is because I've gotten complaints all day that you are you giving my nurses a hard time." Opening up his chart, she nodded and then looked back up at Frank accusingly as she said, "They tell me you are refusing your breathing treatments."

"That's because I don't need them."

Katie sighed in disgust and rolled her eyes as she reminded him, "Look, I know that your entire world is consumed with finding out who shot you, but mine isn't. I have a lot of patients to take care of in this hospital and I don't have time to keep coming up here to wet nurse you."

"Fine, then let me go home."

"Do you think I'm keeping you here because I am fond of your company, your blatant disregard for hospital rules, or your 24 hour security protocol standing guard outside the door?" She asked him sarcastically, "When you are fully healed, I will escort you down to the front door myself. But not a moment before that." Realizing that she was way beyond the point of sounding snarky, she took a deep breath and said tiredly, "Listen...if you don't take these treatments, you are risking serious pulmonary complications. Do you understand that, Mr. Reagan?"

And for the first time since she had entered the room, the Reagan's noticed that Dr. Giordano did not look at all like herself. Her dark red locks were messily pulled back in her signature ponytail, but many pieces were falling haphazardly around her face. A face that looked like it had aged twenty years since they had last seen her. Frank's eyes fell on what looked like patches of blood smeared on her scrubs, although she was doing her best to hide them with her lab coat, and he suddenly realized that he wasn't the only thing bothering the young doctor at the moment.

No longer feeling the need to push her buttons any further, he quietly quipped, "That's Commissioner Reagan, young lady."

"It could be Admiral Reagan for all I care." Katie shot back before realizing that the tone of his voice had changed and he was looking at her with understanding eyes. The red head responded by softening her own tone as she told him, "Now, just do what you are told for once. Please."

"Well, as long as you said _'please'_," Frank teased as she headed out the door.

As she was leaving, Katie almost ran smack into Linda walking in the door of Frank's room.

"Ah, Linda..." The doctor said as she headed out into the hallway, "Finally…a grown up."

Linda simply gave her friend a funny look before coming into the hospital room to find Danny, Jamie, Henry, and Monsignor Donahue chuckling at each other.

"It's not funny." Frank informed them, but he couldn't help hide the grin on his own face.

"What's not funny?" she asked, leaning down to plant a kiss on Frank's forehead.

"Just watching the good doctor wipe the floor with dad once again," Jamie told her as Linda moved over to kiss her husband.

"She's good at that," Linda agreed with a smile. "It's part of her charm."

"She was especially up in arms today," Danny informed his wife. "Apparently, whiskey brings the hellcat out of her."

Linda glanced at the whiskey bottle that had caused most of the commotion and gave Danny an annoyed look as she moved back over to Frank's bed to check his IV drip. Looking down at her father-in-law, she told him, "Whatever just happened in here, it probably wasn't about you. Or the whiskey, although you should probably hide it…the immunity given to the police commissioner only goes so far around here and it's starting to wear a little thin."

"What do you mean that wasn't about me?" Frank asked, watching Linda make an adjustment on his IV tube.

"We had a rough day in the ER today…Dr. G lost a patient on the table." she sighed tiredly and sat down in the chair that the Monsignor had just vacated for her, "An eighteen month old little boy…beaten until he was barely recognizable. It was over for him before Dr. Giordano even got to work, but sometimes when you give it all you've got and it's still not good enough…it's hard to leave it on the table. Especially the babies." Linda sighed as Danny moved over to rub her tired shoulders and she continued, "And then just before she came up here, Dr. G was having the 15 year old mother and her drug dealer boyfriend arrested for murder. Apparently, they were so high…" It was too awful for Linda to even finish the sentence, so she just shook her head and whispered, "Her own child."

Jamie looked up and glanced out the door of Frank's room to see Katie in deep conversation with another doctor. The older man was probably her supervisor and, if the hospital were anything like a police precinct, she was going to have a long evening of questions and paperwork ahead of her.

Frank, also looking out at his young doctor, whispered, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Even the best, like Dr. G, sometimes find it hard to put aside the fact that you're a human being while still trying to do your job." Squeezing Frank's hand, she smiled at him and said, "Something this family knows a little bit about, right? So do everyone a favor and cut her some slack, okay?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Cold Comfort**

_A few hours later…_

Dr. Katie Giordano walked out of the front doors of New York Hospital and pulled her coat tighter around herself to guard against the chilly weather. The winter evening was cloudy and cold. The temperatures were already below the norm and still falling. Reaching into her pockets, she retrieved her favorite gloves and covered her freezing hands with them as she turned toward home.

She hadn't even taken two steps when she heard someone calling after her. She didn't bother to turn around because all of a sudden Officer Jamie Reagan was walking in step next her.

"Hi," he said, trying to pretend that he was not out of breath from running to catch up to her.

"If this is about your father, my shift ended 20 minutes ago." Katie told him, rolling her eyes, "Which means I am no longer professionally obligated to be a part of this conversation..."

"He's not really as bad as he seems," Jamie told her, completely ignoring her statements about no longer being on duty. "He's just not good at being…helpless."

"Who is?" she asked with a sneer, pulling up the collar of her coat as she walked. Finally turning to look at him, she said, "Look, you seem like a nice guy and a good son. And I know your family has been under a lot of stress lately, but honestly…it's been a long, crappy day and I'm going home now to soak in a hot tub. Can we pick this up tomorrow?"

Jamie was busy shaking the sudden image of her in a bubble bath out of his head as he mumbled, "Um…yeah. Sure. Whatever."

"Thank you."

Without saying another word, she turned and continued walking. "It's snowing out here, you know!" he called after her retreating form.

"Thanks for the update." The petite doctor called back over her shoulder. "It's February…in New York. It's been known to do that from time to time."

"You'll freeze to death." He warned, still watching her as she walked away into the night.

"I'll risk it." In spite of herself, she turned and smiled at him as she said, "I love this weather!"

Jamie thought she looked like a child at that moment, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of walking through a winter wonderland. And for reasons he couldn't quite understand, he decided to join her. Without thinking, Jamie ran to catch up with her for the second time in less than five minutes and Katie was more than a little surprised when Jamie fell into step again beside her as he offered, "Would you like a police escort?"

"Are you going to give me a lecture about being a single woman walking alone at night?" she asked, not missing a step as they walked.

"No."

Katie turned and looked at him for a moment and then shrugged, "Sure, why not?" And then mocking his earlier statement, she added, "But it's snowing out here, you know."

Jamie grinned at her teasing and shoved his hands into his pockets as they walked. Finally, he said, "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For saving my father's life." he reminded her seriously, looking up at the clear night sky.

"He did most of the heavy lifting," she told him, looking up to see what it was that was so fascinating to him. "All I did was remove the bullet."

"You did more than that."

"Your dad was lucky, Jamie." Katie said quietly, taking a second to study his handsome face. "He had a lot going for him before he even landed on my table…he was strong and healthy." She paused and he finally looked back at her before she smiled and said, "And he had a lot to live for. It makes a difference."

"Yeah," Jamie agreed and then said, "It's just that…we got that phone call once before. And it didn't turn out so well that time."

"Your brother Joe?" She asked quietly, not turning to look at him this time. He nodded and she added softly, "Families are like puzzles. They fit together in a certain way, and when one of the pieces are missing it throws everything off. I guess I became a doctor to keep it from happening to too many families."

"Did you always want to be a doctor?" he asked suddenly.

"Well," she said, taking a deep breath and drawing the cold night air into her lungs, "until I was seven I wanted to be a princess. And then for awhile there I wanted to be Mrs. Jon Bon Jovi and then I went through the wanting to be Brittany Spears phase…my parents loved that one."

"I bet." Jamie laughed and then asked, "Jon Bon Jovi?"

"Hey, he was hot!" she protested and then said, "But I settled on doctor when I was about 15 and stayed the course."

"What happened when you were 15?"

Katie sighed and admitted, "I fell in love with a paramedic."

"Isn't that a little bit illegal?" Jamie asked, raising his eyebrow at her reasoning.

"Oh, it was a completely one sided relationship," she assured him, "I loved him and he tolerated the geeky neighborhood girl."

"I can't imagine you as geeky…"

"Oh, I was." She assured him with a nod of her head, "Acne, braces, glasses, spiral perm, 90's fashions…gotta love the teenage years. I burned all of my yearbooks a few years ago…"

Jamie broke out in laughter as she continued, "Anyway, this golden god paramedic was studying to go to medical school and so I studied too so that I could impress him with my knowledge. I even helped him study for his entrance exams and then do you know what he did to my tender teenage heart?" She didn't wait for him to answer as she told him, "He flung me aside for some waitress in Jersey."

"Jerk."

"Big jerk." Katie agreed with a grin. "So I got the best revenge imaginable…I beat him at his own game. I became a surgeon."

"And did he ever get into medical school?" he asked with interest.

"He's still a paramedic." She informed him with a wicked smile. "I will never forget the look on his face the day he brought an accident victim into my ER and had to call me 'Dr. Giordano'. I loved it."

"Revenge is a dish best served cold," Jamie concluded, smiling at her.

"Sounds like you've got a bit of Italian in you, Irish boy." She kidded him and nudged his arm with her shoulder. "I guess you've always wanted to be a cop…considering the family business and everything."

"Actually, up until a few years ago I wanted to be a lawyer." He told her, "Went to Harvard law and everything."

"Impressive," she said with a nod of her head, "What happened a few years ago?"

"Someone killed my brother," Jamie told her quietly, changing the entire mood of their conversation.

"Yeah," Katie replied quietly, "I heard about that. I'm sorry."

"You know about my brother, huh? Does that mean you checked up on me?" he asked, taking the opportunity to turn the serious moment into a joke.

Katie chuckled and told him, "I wouldn't call it that."

"What would you call it?"

"Uh…", she stumbled over her words with a smile, but recovered quickly and said, "homework. Homework on my patient. I had to know…"

"You checked up on me." Jamie concluded with a grin.

"Don't get so full of yourself there," the pretty red head joked, "It's pretty easy to be anonymous in a city this size, unless your name happens to be Reagan."

"Tell me about it." He agreed, but then said, "In the spirit of full disclosure though, I have to tell you that we checked up on you, too. With Linda."

"And what did Linda tell you about me?"

"Basically that you are a fantastic surgeon, a dedicated professional," the cop said, "and that you speak four different languages."

Katie looked up at him in surprise and then admitted, "Actually, I speak five languages."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Linda said that you speak French, Spanish, German, and Italian." he told her, trying to remember all of the languages his sister in law had mentioned.

The young doctor laughed and said, "I also dabble a little in English."

Quickly realizing his mistake, Jamie joined in her laughter and couldn't believe how natural it felt to laugh with her. They'd just met, but he was beginning to feel like he'd known her forever. In a more serious tone, he mentioned, "She also told us about that kid in the ER today."

Katie stopped short and stared at him for a moment before she continued walking. Shrugging her shoulders in nonchalance, she informed him, "It comes with the territory. Patients die."

But she couldn't contain the emotion in her voice and Jamie couldn't ignore the tears that were suddenly rolling down her cheeks. When she noticed him looking at her, she quickly wiped them away and stated, "That's the problem, see? That's exactly how you lose your mind with jobs like ours. There's so much tragedy. Feeling is the first thing that goes. After that losing the rest is easy. Compassion, empathy, sympathy…It's funny, you can become a much better doctor by becoming less of a human being."

Jamie knew that there was nothing he could say to make her feel better at that moment because she was absolutely correct. So, they continued walking in silence and Katie took the opportunity to look at the world around her. They were at the edge of Central Park and the scene was positively beautiful. She stopped to gaze around with wonder at the frost-covered trees, and the branches that sparkled like diamonds. It was positively beau-

Thwack!

The red headed doctor felt the cold, wet snow hit the side of her face and slide down her cheek. When she whirled around to face Jamie, he was laughing like a little kid.

"That was uncalled for!" she said in a haughty voice, causing him to laugh harder.

His boyish smile continued to lighten his features, and his pale eyes crinkled in mirth. "From my perspective, it was a perfectly reasonable opportunity. Things were getting entirely too serious."

Katie stared at him for a moment, then finally smiled sweetly. It only took him a few seconds to realize that he shouldn't trust that smile. A wicked grin curved at her lips as she bent down to scoop up a handful of snow. She started to pack it into a ball as he began backing away from her.

"Well, two can play at that game!" she cried, darting after him and hitting him square in the back with her snowball.

Katie batted at a couple stray snowflakes, blinking as the cool wind gave them the push they needed to fall in to her eyes. Another gust blew strands of her red hair into her face, distracting her long enough to realize that Jamie had disappeared into the winter scenery.

Jamie waited a few moments before risking a peep around the edge of the tree he was hiding behind, then frowned as he realized that his companion was nowhere in sight. Then a movement out of the corner of his eye made him whirl around, just in time to catch a large amount of snow right in his face at close range. Spluttering in a most unsophisticated manner as he clawed the snow out of his eyes, he looked up to find Katie standing a few feet away, cackling with laughter.

Blowing a strand of hair out of her face, she decided from the look on his face that she had better make a run for it. She took a deep breath and raced across the open ground towards a tree of her own to hide behind. The barrage of snowballs he sent flying in her direction caused the doctor to scream in shock and laughter before diving for the tree.

The snowball fight continued as neither one was going to give in easily. Katie squatted down and began to pack snowballs as fast as she could, not quite sure what Jamie's next move would be. She soon found out as he snuck up behind her, grabbed one of her snowballs and lobbed it at her. It landed on her head and she laughed.

They began to wrestle, both trying to get the upper hand, trying to snatch snow and trying not to be hit at the same time. Jamie ducked back behind the tree to retrieve some more snowballs just as Katie decided to tackle him. He managed to catch her as she tried to jump on his back, but her momentum knocked both of them to the ground. She landed on him, her breath puffing out around his face as it was knocked out of her.

Neither of them moved. The wind and snow seemed to stop. Everything around them was quiet; they couldn't even hear the traffic from the nearby street as they had during their snow war. Katie risked looking into his eyes and that was when the world shifted. The deep flush in his cheeks from the cold, the way his chest moved with his shallow breaths and Katie knew she was lost. Her stomach twisted inside her, and her heart began to play a jumping game.

"Hi" she said softly after finally getting her breath back.. Katie pushed herself up on her hands, which were on either side of his head, so that she was looking down on him. A loose strand of hair fell forward to tickle his cheek.

"Hi there." he answered, savoring the sensation of her warmth covering him. All he could focus on was the beautiful woman, whose face was inches from his own. She could feel his warm breath on her face as he whispered, "Dr. Giordano..."

She looked down at him with large, luminous eyes, laced with desire. After a heartbeat, he brushed her cold cheek with his thumb and let it travel down to trace over her full lips. But she refused to meet his gaze, as she tried to slow her breathing. Then she pulled away from him and stood up.

"Thanks for the escort," she told him, brushing snow off of her coat. "I think I can make it from here."

And then Katie Giordano did what she did best…she walked away from him.


	5. Chapter 5

_**For anyone who doesn't understand the Doogie Howser reference in this chapter...you're going to have to look it up! Not only am I giving away Katie's age, but I'm giving you a hint at my own age as well!**_

_**Thanks to all who are reading and commenting...I appreciate the moment you take to leave your comments!**_**

* * *

******

Chapter 5 - Truce

_The next morning…_

"Good morning, Dr. Giordano."

Katie didn't even have time to look up from the paperwork she was filling out at the fourth floor nurses station when a hot cup of coffee slid under her nose to accompany the familiar voice. Eyeing the cup of steaming liquid, the doctor asked Jamie, "Is that for me?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The young police officer practically chuckled at her guarded look and simply said, "I thought you might want it."

"You brought me coffee?"

"Yes."

"What's in it?"

"Coffee." He told her simply. "Two sugars. A little bit of cream."

Raising a suspicious eyebrow at him, she asked dryly, "How did you figure out how I take my coffee? Are you stalking me?"

"No," Jamie shook his head, unable to conceal the grin that spread across his lips as he informed her smugly, "I figured it out by asking Linda how you take your coffee."

"Why?"

"Why did I bring you coffee?" He simply shook his head again at the silly conversation and then said, "It's a peace offering."

Whatever Jamie Reagan was expecting to happen next, it wasn't for her to laugh at him. But that is exactly what she did. It was a truly unguarded moment from this very guarded woman and it was refreshing. It had been a long time since Jamie had taken notice of a member of the opposite sex not named Sydney, but Dr. Katie Giordano was a stunningly beautiful woman. And that beauty seemed to intensify, if possible, when she laughed.

"You brought me a peace offering?" she repeated, looking at the coffee and turning to fully face him.

"That's funny to you?"

She stared at him briefly before sighing deeply and then admitted, "Look Reagan, I know that I have not laid out the welcome mat for you and your family. While your father has not been the ideal patient, he's also not the worst that I have seen. But he is the most high profile and I have had my bosses, your bosses and the press breathing down my neck since the Commissioner arrived. I know it comes with the territory, but…" With her signature smirk, she added, "You see, Officer Reagan, I am what my father calls a 'royal pain in the ass'."

"Really?" he shot back, folding his arms across his chest and feigning a look of surprise, "I hadn't noticed."

Katie gave him a look that was part scowl and part smirk as she continued, "What I'm trying to say is that if anyone should be handing out peace offerings around here, I know that it's me, but…"

But before she could finish that statement, the pager at Katie's waist went off and she reached around the other side of the nurse's station to pick up the phone. After her long fingers had pushed a few buttons, she waited only a moment until she said into the receiver, "Dr. Giordano."

He watched her face as she nodded her head and replied, "I'll be there as soon as I can." Hanging up the phone, she looked over at Jamie and quipped, "Saved by the bell, Officer Reagan. I have just enough time to check up on your father and then head back down to the ER…."

"That's convenient," Jamie shot back, falling in step with her as they walked down the hall to the Commissioner's room. "I guess that means we don't have to talk about last night either."

Katie pursed her lips and took a deep breath as she tried to nonchalantly say, "I thanked you for the escort home already. What else is there to talk about?"

"Oh I don't know," he shrugged, playing along, "How about the fact that we almost…"

"Good morning, Detective Baker." The doctor interrupted as they approached the door to the Commissioner's room and the detective standing guard outside.

"Dr. Giordano," Detective Melissa Baker returned the greeting with a smile and a nod of her head before turning to her bosses' son and saying, "Jamie."

Jamie smiled at his father's longtime assistant as he followed Katie into the room, putting their conversation on hold for now.

"Good morning Admiral," the good doctor chirped as she opened up his chart. Frank smiled at her reference to yesterday's argument and nodded to her, not letting on that he was surprised to see her come into the room with Jamie.

"Feeling better today?" Frank asked as she began her standard routines of checking his heart rate, blood pressure, and bandages.

"Isn't that supposed to be my line?" she replied, checking out the readings on his heart monitor. "Good," she murmured and then looked at Frank, "Very good. See what happens when you follow doctors orders?"

"Listen, about yesterday," Frank began, "You were out of line and I was a jackass. Let's call a truce."

"Well the Reagan men are all about peace offerings today, aren't they?" she asked with a grin, causing Frank to look over at Jamie. Jamie simply shrugged and held up the coffee that he had given her earlier. His father shook his head as Katie continued, "Okay, sit up so I can take a look at my handiwork."

Frank sat up and untied his hospital gown so that she could check his bandages. Sitting there topless and vulnerable while the pretty doctor began unwrapping his bandages so that she could inspect his incision, the Commissioner suddenly asked, "Can I ask you something personal?"

"And if I say no?"

"Well, I'll just hold my breath, which will stop my heart and kill me." When she looked up at him quizzically, he explained, "You're right here with a New York City police officer as a witness and you'll be charged with murder."

Unwrapping his bandages slowly, she tilted her head and asked, "So my choices are homicide charges or inappropriate personal questions from a patient?"

"Looks that way."

"Is this how you get serial killers and mobsters to confess?" Katie asked impishly, leaning down to inspect his chest. She smiled and said, "Look at how nicely that is healing…you'll barely have a scar." Turning to pick up the clean pads and bandages a nurse had left on the table, she finally agreed, "Fine, what do you want to know?"

"How old are you?"

Katie laughed as she turned back to him and said, "One thing I've heard over and over about you, Commissioner Reagan, is that you are a gentleman. Don't you know that a gentleman never asks a lady her age?"

"I just want to make sure I don't have a Doogie Howser situation going on here." Frank replied with a glint of playfulness in his eye.

"Doogie Howser?" Jamie asked from across the room.

The red head laughed again as she began reapplying Frank's bandages and stated, "Let's just say that I'm old enough to understand the Doogie Howser reference, hmm?"

"Good enough for me." Frank replied with a chuckle.

"Arms up." Katie commanded so that she could secure his bandages and then asked, "So, is that the end of the interview portion of the competition?"

Frank nodded, but then mused out loud, "Giordano? I know a Mickey Giordano...from Brooklyn."

"Yeah? Me, too." She told with a smirk and then added, "I call him daddy."

"You're Mickey Giordano's little girl?"

"The one and only." The petite doctor replied proudly. "He sends his regards, by the way."

"Fire chief Mickey Giordano..." Frank said, clueing Jamie into what was going on in the conversation, "Now I know where you get all your spark."

Not missing his play on words, Katie rolled her eyes and stated, "Cute."

Finished with his bandages, the doctor pulled the blood pressure cuff over to the bed and began to wrap it around Frank's arm as he continued, "The last time I talked to Mickey he was telling me all about his brilliant daughter who ran away from home to save lives in South America."

"I spent the last few years of my residency with Doctors without Borders." She informed him, pumping air into the blood pressure cuff, "But lucky for you I traded in the Amazon rainforest for the concrete jungle of New York last summer."

"I'm sure your father is glad to have you closer to home."

"He is." She replied and then motioned for him to be quiet as she listened through her stethoscope. Smiling she released his arm from the cuff and informed him, "140 over 85…still a little high, but much better than yesterday."

As she moved over to mark her findings in his chart, Frank said quietly, "I was at your brother Francis' funeral..."

Jamie suddenly looked up as Katie replied equally as quietly, "I remember."

"And Vincent?" The older man asked, compassion filling his eyes. "Did they recover...?"

The petite doctor stopped writing for a moment and swallowed hard before she replied, "He's still buried somewhere beneath the towers."

"I'm sorry." Frank said, and meant it.

"Me, too." She replied simply, walking over and picking up the cup of coffee that Jamie had given her earlier before as she said, "And your son..."

"One of the first phone calls I received was from your father." Frank informed her quickly, looking over at Jamie…who was completely intrigued by the conversation.

"Sounds like him." She agreed and then paused to take a sip of coffee before adding, "He's always said that burying a child was something he never wanted to have in common with anyone."

"He's a good man."

Katie accepted the compliment on her father's behalf with a smile and then gave an unexpected one of her own by saying, "New York has a habit of putting good men in power." And then the sentimental moment was over as quickly as it had began when she retreated into doctor mode and warned, "But that doesn't mean I'm going to let you go home before you are healed." And then winking at him, she added, "But you're getting closer."

And before she made her exit, she paused and said, "Thanks for the coffee, Jamie."

Jamie watched her go before he turned to his father and asked, "What was that all about?"

"Mickey and Rosalie Giordano had five sons who all followed their father into the FDNY." Frank explained, leaning back against his pillows. "He's one of the best and most beloved firefighters that this city has ever seen. And on September 11th, Mickey and all five of his boys were downtown at the towers. But by the end of the day..."

"Only three sons came home." Jamie concluded quietly, "Wow."

"Wow is right." Frank agreed, and then said, "When they found Francis' body, they halted digging and didn't bring him out until Mickey and his three remaining boys could be there. I remember watching it on the news and wondering how any father could…" His voice got gruff and trailed off so that he could compose himself and then continued, "It seems that every firefighter's funeral I went to in the months that followed 9/11, Mickey or one of his boys were there. Now come to think of it, I think our young doctor was at more than her fair share as well."

"The FDNY's a tight knit group," Jamie reminded his father.

"And that one grew up in it," Frank replied, referring to Katie, "The Giordano brownstone was only blocks away from the firehouse where Frank spent most of his career. It wasn't only her brothers that died that day…she probably lost men who had been influential parts of her childhood and boys that she grew up with. And just like those men, she chose a profession that is all about saving lives."

"Yeah," Jamie mused, gaining new perspective on Dr. Katie Giordano. Focusing back on his father, he smiled and said, "Well, I'm sure glad she did."

"Me too." Frank agreed.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Thanks again for the reviews, loyal readers! **_

_**Runner 043 - Coffee is going to play a big role in this relationship! I love strong female characters who are smart and funny, so I'm glad you like that about Katie. And if the Doogie ref didn't reveal enough about her age, she clears it up for us in this chapter! Thanks for taking time to read and revie this story! **_

_**I know I am taking it slow, but I am a fan of the build up so please be patient...**_

**

* * *

****Chapter Six – A Tough Nut to Crack**

_The Next Morning…_

Jamie had been watching her since the moment she walked into the gym. He should have known that a woman like Katie Giordano wouldn't come in to use the stair climber or run a few laps on the treadmill. No, this woman headed straight for the heavy bag and started punching and kicking out her frustrations. And, Jamie had to admit to himself, she had good form. From the bag, he watched her move into the ring for some sparring with a guy he assumed was her trainer. He hadn't seen her at the gym before and knew he would have noticed that red hair in the mundane confines of the room. But it was close to the hospital, so it made sense that they worked out at the same place. And for some reason he decided to run next door to the coffee shop and grab her a coffee…to continue their theme.

"That's it!" The trainer was praising her for a sharp move as Jamie returned to the gym and approached the ring. "You can take the girl out of Brooklyn, but you can't take the Brooklyn out of the girl!" Trainer and student knocked gloves as he said, "I think that's good for today, kiddo. Before you beat the crap out of me."

"Sorry, Ed." Katie gave her brother a sheepish smile as she caught her breath.

"I don't suppose this extra aggression has anything to do with the fact that the Police Commissioner of New York City and his entire entourage are still inhabiting the fourth floor of your hospital?" Eddie asked, looking sideways at her as he helped her unlace her gloves.

"It's my own fault," his sister answered, flexing out her fingers once they had been freed from her gloves. "I refuse to bend to pressure and release him before he is ready."

"Damn you for being a caring and thorough medical professional," he teased and they both laughed. "That's what you get for always being an overachiever."

Katie elbowed him in the gut and turned to pick up her water bottle. Seeing Jamie standing at the edge of the boxing ring, her cheeks flushed with embarrassed color. "Well, speak of the devil." she muttered under her breath as Jamie stood smirking at her. "Good morning, Officer Reagan."

"Mornin'." Jamie said cheerfully, enjoying her embarrassment.

"Reagan?" Eddie asked, turning around to see who his sister was talking to.

"Jamie Reagan, this is my brother Eddie Giordano. Ed, this is Officer Jamie Reagan...Commissioner Reagan's son." Katie introduced the two men, placing her emphasis on the 'son' part of that statement.

Jamie reached out his hand to shake Eddie's and was not surprised by the firefighter's grip. Obviously not the least bit embarrassed to have been overheard talking about the Reagan's, Eddie said nonchalantly, "I'm glad to hear that your father is doing better."

"Thanks to your sister, here."

"Yeah, well we try not to give her too much credit," Ed teased, nudging his sister with his arm, "It goes straight to her enormous head."

Katie just shook her head as Jamie laughed and asked Eddie, "Which house are you with?"

"I just transferred to Rescue 2 out in Brooklyn, so that's going to be a new challenge," Eddie replied, packing up his gear. Turning to his sister, he said, "Speaking of, I've got to get to the house. My tour starts in an hour." Turning to his kid sister, he said, "Nice work today, kiddo."

"Thanks." Katie replied, grinning back at him. "Be safe. I love you."

"Love you, too." Hoisting his gym bag onto his shoulder, Eddie kissed his sister's cheek, before saying, "Nice to meet you, Jamie," and headed out onto the New York streets.

After watching her brother walk out the door, Katie turned back to Jamie, set a hand on her hip, and said accusingly, "If you keep showing up at all the places I go, people are going to think you are stalking me. And I've got two more brothers just like him back at the ranch who don't take kindly to people stalking me…"

"You owe me a kiss." Jamie informed her, ignoring her statements about her brothers.

"Excuse me?"

"From our little romp in the snow the other night." He reminded her, handing the cup of steaming coffee up to her.

"I don't owe you anything. You were out of line." Katie informed him haughtily, but accepted the cup of coffee as she continued, "And I'm not that kind of girl." Then suddenly she made a face and asked, "What is that smell?"

"Hazelnut."

"Why is it in my coffee?"

She was becoming famous for conversations like this one, so Jamie grinned and told her, "Linda said you liked hazelnut."

"Well Linda was pulling your chain." she said simply, leaning down to climb out of the ring.

"You don't like hazelnut?" He asked, taking her hand and helping her down.

"I don't like being stalked by guys carrying coffee!"

"Then why did you almost kiss me?"

At first she didn't seem to have an answer for his question and she turned away from him to begin packing her boxing gloves away in her bag. When it became obvious that Jamie was not going to leave her alone, she looked back up at him and seemed annoyed by the grin on his face. Straightening up, she put her hand back on her hip and asked accusingly, "Now why would I kiss someone who is stalking me?"

Shrugging and leaning against the wall, Jamie said nonchalantly, "You tell me."

"Because I was having a bad day." Katie snapped, narrowing her eyes at him. Then taking a deep breath, she added in a calmer voice, "It was snowing out and you offered to walk me home. The whole thing was like some scene out of a romantic movie. And you were flirting with me." She lowered her voice and admitted, "And I needed to be flirted with." Then the red head looked him straight in the eye and told him, "And I thought you looked cute in your uniform."

If Jamie didn't know any better, he could have sworn that she had blushed again as she said that. But Katie had looked away from him again, so he asked, "Those are the reasons you kiss people?"

"I didn't kiss you." She reminded him.

"Which brings us back to the original problem."

This time Jamie knew he saw her smile even though she quickly tried to hide it. She took a long sip of the dreaded hazelnut coffee and stared at him for a few moments before she asked, "What is your game?"

"Game?"

"I am too old for you to waste this much time flirting with me," Katie informed him, watching him closely for a reaction. "Plus we've already established the fact that I am a pain in the ass."

Jamie ignored the second part of her statement because he was still reeling from the beginning. Trying to hide a grin, he asked, "Too old?"

"I must have at least 10 years on you."

Jamie made a face and queried, "How old are you?"

"Thirty…" Katie said, then took another deliberate sip of her coffee. Eyeing him over the rim of the cup, she made a face at the sweet hazelnut taste and then finished, "…four."

"Well I am 27." He informed her smugly and then added, "So if my math is correct, that's only 7 years. Much less than Ashton and Demi."

"We are not Ashton and Demi."

"True." Jamie agreed and then grinned, "I'm much better looking than he is."

On that, Katie had to agree. But she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of agreeing with him out loud. Because then he really put his foot in it with his next statement…

"Cougars are in now…"

She turned on him quickly and demanded, "Did you just call me a cougar?"

Jamie stepped back when he saw the fire flashing in her eyes as he asked innocently, "Isn't that the term?"

"It may be the term…but it's awful and demeaning." Katie informed him, putting down the coffee that she clearly wasn't enjoying but simply using as a stall tactic. "It's as if saying that a woman over 40 or 50 is preying on an unsuspecting piece of meat."

"Okay, so I won't use that term again."

"Especially since I'm years away from being a…cougar."

"Noted." Jamie said, watching her bend over and put her water bottle into her gym bag. He was a guy after all, so he took a few moments to admire her tight physique. She was in great shape...and her form fitting workout clothes accentuated it nicely. His mind was spinning and so he wasn't thinking straight as he blurted out, "You have good form."

A slow smile spread over her face as she turned back to look at him. "Are you checking me out, Officer Reagan?"

"No, I..." he stumbled over his words, realizing how that must have sounded to her.

"Because that was a strange thing for a guy to say if he wasn't checking me out..." She teased, enjoying his sudden discomfort.

"I meant in the ring. You have good form in the ring. With your stance and everything." Jamie tried to explain, realizing too late that she was playing with him and he must have sounded like an idiot. "Really."

Deciding to let him off the hook, Katie said, "I took up kickboxing about seven years ago after I was mugged walking home one night."

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, but she simply shrugged her shoulders.

"It was a classic rookie mistake on my part…I was preoccupied and wasn't paying attention to my surroundings. It was scary, though." She zipped up her gym bag and continued, "I've been in love with this city my whole life and then after my attack, I was afraid of it. I just decided one day that I didn't want to be afraid anymore."

Jamie nodded in agreement. "It's a tough sport. And you're good at it. Not too many women have the stones to try it."

"I grew up in a firehouse in Brooklyn." She informed him. "There's not much that intimidates me."

"I believe it." Jamie said, raising his eyebrow.

His tone caused her to laugh. She turned and picked up her gym bag, a sure signal to Jamie that their conversation was just about over. Only, he didn't want it to end. So before he could stop himself, he asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Katie turned back to face him and asked with a mischievous smile. "You are really jonesin' for that kiss, aren't you Officer Reagan?"

"No…I mean, yes…I'm...there's a great little diner a few blocks from here." Her subtle, flirty tone caught him off guard at first, but he recovered quickly. "It's kind of a hole, but they make a killer omelet. I was going to get one and thought you might like one, too. Plus, I've heard that that have a very strict 'no hazelnut in the coffee' rule."

Katie laughed out loud and Jamie found himself mesmerized by the sound. There was very little about this woman that didn't absolutely mesmerize him. But he could see that she was unsure about the whole and idea.

"You have to eat, don't you?" He asked quickly before she could protest. "Well, so do I. So, we'll just be two people eating. At the same table. In the same diner."

He was quite charming, she had to admit. And good looking. It wasn't often that a man got past her defenses as quickly as he had. She _was _hungry and really enjoying his company. Finally, she said, "I have to shower first."

"I'll wait."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

_"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Cry and you cry with your girlfriends." _~ Laurie Kuslansky

_Later that day…_

"This is the fifth time you're reading it. Are there words in there you don't understand?"

Katie looked up in confusion and realized that she was still staring absent mindedly at the patient chart Linda had asked her to sign off on about five minutes ago. Shaking the cobwebs from her brain, she scribbled her signature at the bottom and handed it back to the nurse with a sheepish smile as she apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm a little preoccupied this morning."

"I noticed." Linda replied with a grin, handing over another file for Katie to look over and sign. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," Katie lied, perusing the next file and checking her friends' notations.

But Linda was not only a good nurse, she was a perceptive friend and the mother of two young boys…otherwise known as an expert at telling when people were lying. With a knowing look, she asked, "Is Frank still giving you a hard time?"

"No," the doctor answered with a smirk, "it's his son."

Linda's eyes immediately narrowed and her spine straightened as she asked, "Danny's giving you a hard time?"

Katie had to laugh at the other woman's reaction and quickly shook her head as she replied, "The other one."

"Jamie?" The nurse asked in surprise. "Jamie's giving you a hard time? I thought the only person Jamie gave a hard time to was Danny."

"He's not giving me a hard time," the red head corrected her friend, "He's stalking me."

"Jamie?" Linda repeated, complete surprise written all over her face. "Stalking you as in…how exactly?"

"In the most adorable way possible." Katie sighed, leaning her arm on the counter of the nurse's station and resting her chin in her palm. The smile that spread across the nurse's face let Katie know that she knew exactly what was going on with her friend and her young brother-in-law. Scrunching up her face, the normally self-confident doctor asked sheepishly, "Is that weird for you?"

Sensing Katie's need to talk, Linda checked her watch and then draped her arm around her friends' shoulder as she asked, "You wanna get a coffee?"

The doctor couldn't help but laugh out loud at her. Seeing Linda's confused face, she simply shook her head and asked, "What is it with the Reagan's and coffee?"

Ten minutes later the two women were sitting in the hospital cafeteria sharing fairly decent raspberry croissants and really awful coffee. As Katie was adding enough sugar to her cup to mask the bitter taste of hospital coffee, Linda said, "Okay, spill it."

"Actually," the redhead confessed, "there isn't really anything to spill."

"Yet." Linda guessed with a glint in her eye.

"He's young," Katie reminded her and then added with a smile, "but very persistent."

"Oh yeah?"

Katie gave Linda another look across the table and asked, "Are you sure this isn't weird for you?"

"I'm an old married woman," the blond nurse reminded her, "The only guys who are persistent with me are my sons."

"That's only because most guys are afraid of Danny."

"True." Linda agreed. "I'll let you know if the weirdness factor gets to be too much to handle."

"Jamie keeps following me around with coffee," Katie began causing Linda to grin into her cup as she raised it to her lips. "He walked me home from the hospital the other night and then asked me out to breakfast this morning. We had...a really good time. Better than I expected actually."

"Oooh, a walk in the snow and runny eggs at the diner…scandalous," Linda teased with a laugh.

"I didn't say it was scandalous," the doctor chided, "I just said it was…confusing."

"You're kidding, right?"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means, have you taken a look in the mirror lately?" Linda asked, pulling her croissant apart and popping a piece of the buttery pastry into her mouth. "The fact that you don't have an entire army of men following you around with coffee…and diamonds…and furs…surprises the hell out of me. I mean, with your long, wavy red hair, peaches and cream complexion, emerald green eyes, and a figure that looked like it was sculpted by the good Lord himself. People hate you, you know."

"Who hates me?"

"Most of the nurses." Linda informed her with a smile. "And that physical therapist with the big boobs…"

"The blond?" Katie asked in surprise. "Lisa or Lindsay or something?"

"Lydia."

"Why does she hate me?"

"Because before you arrived on staff, she had all of the men around here eating out of the palm of her hand." Linda said, taking a sip of her coffee and making a face at the taste as she swallowed. "Now she seems to fade into the background whenever you are around. And she's not happy about it."

"Well, she can relax," Katie assured her friend, "I don't date co-workers. Been there, done that, don't want a repeat performance."

"Your ex-husband was a doctor?" Linda asked in surprise.

"No," the redhead corrected, "my ex was a firefighter. The rebound guy was a doctor."

"Some women have all the luck." Linda clucked with a grin.

"Please, I'd trade it all in for what you've got," Katie told her honestly, "I married my high school sweetheart, too. Mikey and I grew up together…started dating when we were 16, were married by the time we hit 23. He was beautiful…and he knew it. Plus, he was Italian and a New York City firefighter. On paper, it all seemed perfect. We were supposed to be the forever kind, but we only lasted a few years." The young doctor shook her head in nostalgia as she mused, "We'd known each other our whole lives, but we only managed to stay married for 3 years."

"What happened?"

"We were young and stupid." Katie admitted, and then sighed as she admitted, "I wanted to put off having children until I was done with my residency, but I got pregnant just after our first anniversary. When I miscarried that baby, he got it in his head that I had done it on purpose."

"On purpose?" Linda asked in dismay, "A miscarriage?"

"He blamed me for working too hard and not taking care of myself. Said that the baby had never fit into my life plan and I probably was happy that..." Katie let her voice trail off and Linda could see the pain her ex-husband had caused was still hanging around. After a moment, she continued, "After awhile there was no reasoning with him, so I stopped. By our second anniversary, we could barely stand to be in the same room with each other." Picking up her coffee cup and raising it in a mock toast, she finished, "And by our third anniversary we were signing the divorce papers."

"Sounds like a prince."

"He was no Danny Reagan." Katie agreed and felt extremely jealous of her happily married friend at that moment.

"Or Jamie Reagan." Linda reminded her with a knowing smile. The petite doctor chuckled and took a sip of her coffee. They were both quiet for a moment before Linda asked seriously, "Do you want to know what I think?"

"Don't I always?"

"I think that sometimes things happen between people that you don't really expect. And sometimes the things that are the most important are the ones that seem the weirdest or the most wrong." Taking another bite of her croissant, she added softly, "And those are the ones that change your life."

"I'm not looking for someone to change my life…"

"Well, you should be."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"That means you're a pain in the ass." Linda held up her hand to stop Katie's protests and continued quickly, "And I say that with love. But you are fiercely independent, fiercely loyal, and an extremely obnoxious zealot…"

"Again said with love, right?" Katie drawled dryly, glaring at her friend.

"…when it comes to your job. You are the best at what you do, which also causes people to hate you…"

"I didn't realized I had all of these enemies until just now…"

The nurse continued, ignoring her friend's interruption, "But outside of the hospital…"

"I am a lonely, bitter, divorcee who goes home to curl up with my dog every evening." The doctor finished for her sarcastically. "I get it."

"I wasn't going to say _bitter_…" Linda joked and the two women burst out laughing. When they finally calmed down, Linda continued, "Look, Danny and I have been together for a long time so I've known Jamie for practically all of his life. And one thing that I can tell you about him is that Jameson Reagan has always been a guy who knows what he wants and goes after it." Winking, she continued, "And what he seems to want these days…is you."

"Well, this whole conversation could be mute," Katie informed Linda as they got up to return to work, "because I am releasing Frank tomorrow morning. When he doesn't have to come and visit his father anymore, I probably won't see Jamie ever again."

Linda nodded at Katie's logic, but she decided not to say anything. Because she didn't think that was going to be the case at all.


End file.
